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Topic: EE Exclusive Astromech 5-Packs (Read 12438 times)

OK, with the onset of these EE box sets, I was thinking of pulling all my little Astromechs out to display on one shelf. As I was compiling a list, I realized that we already have quite a few of these little guys!

I haven't seen that come up in recent Q&As really, but I know that our own JediMAC has met him (Pawlus recently moved to California to work for EE apparently) in a Target recently, so who knows.

Yeah, I've run into Adam at one of our local Targets, and I've actually seen him mention at least several times in his recent Q & A's (since he move to L.A.) how much harder toy hunting is out here in SoCal, with all the scalpers and dealers and such... So it's safe to say that he's still looking for some product at least. He was looking for the new Target cupsets when I last ran into him, so maybe it's just the retailer exclusives he has to track down. Or, it could still be everything. I dunno.

6. If someone complains about the price, he'll make a snide remark toward them and say that people are overreacting.

Well, he might say something in his Q&A, but that would be the extent of it. He doesn't participate in the forums though, so it'd be highly unlikely that he'd ever speak up in that format. I think that's something that's always struck me as odd about him, that he has absolutely no interest whatsoever in being a part of the greater collecting community, and making friends and/or participating in discussions in the forums. Not sure why that is exactly, other than perhaps he doesn't like mingling with the "commoners". Just speculation on my part...

I was a HUGE fan of his newsletter way back in the day. I don't think there was a collector out there who's heart didn't skip a beat when they found that waiting in their e-mail inbox. That's where most all of the breaking scoops and new information came from during the mid/late 90's. I have no idea how a 14/15 year old kid had such incredible inside connections back then, but he sure did, and I loved reading all about it.

But since then, I haven't found any of his Q & A's to be nearly as exciting. Just answering a lot of the same ol', same ol' questions. But since he's joined EE, I've grown a tad bit tired of his frequent proclomations of "being in the industry" and "I know everything, but can't tell you anything since I'm sworn to secrecy" stuff. Yeah, I get it. The first few times were more than enough to make me remember. Thanks. I guess the fact that I've talked to him numerous times in person and he never has any idea who I am (despite the usual re-introduction everytime), bugs me a bit too.

Now, back on topic, I've got to say that personally I love these Astromech multi-packs coming from EE. I've wanted to see something like this for a long time, so I'll at least give Adam a little credit for pitching the idea to EE (granted, it's just some repaints yeah, but still). Would've loved some R5's in there too, but as has already been noted, a good R5 sculpt just didn't exist for them to use. But hey, at least they didn't go "clean" and "dirty" on the droids this time, like they did on their prior Clone sets, so that's cool.

As for the price on them, seeing as it's very much in line with the prior Clones, I can't fault them on consistency there. Also, I think we have to remember that stores (smaller retail, or e-tail) that don't get stuff in mass bulk like the big boys do, usually have to charge a slightly higher amount on figures to compete. But on the flipside, obviously the production cost would be lower on these, since they're just repaints, and there's no new molds involved. As Jeff and others have already pointed out though, the way to go is by grouping up with a few others and ordering a case of these. Much cheaper that way, and hell, they basically come all the way down to current retail figure prices if you do that (with a painful shipping cost though). But it is a bummer that folks that would like to avoid all that, and just want to order a couple sets, have to get gouged a bit on the prices.

Anyway, Adam may not be the friendliest fella, and his ego's getting a tad bit too big these days for my liking, but that aside, I definitely dig the Droids a lot, and am happy to see them coming, so kudos to team EE for getting them out to the collectors like this.

Matt, I do kind of have to disagree with you on the pricepoint issue. Sure they don't push product in the amounts a Wlamart or Target might, and they are more specific, but they also do not have the overhead that those stores have. That's why Amazon is able to have prices lower than the brick and mortar stores they compete with.

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Peacekeeper, when it absolutely, positively has to be nuked in 30 minutes or less. Or the next nuke's free!

Matt, I do kind of have to disagree with you on the pricepoint issue. Sure they don't push product in the amounts a Wlamart or Target might, and they are more specific, but they also do not have the overhead that those stores have. That's why Amazon is able to have prices lower than the brick and mortar stores they compete with.

Actually, Matt is correct. It is Hasbro who dictates in per item price of any one piece. So if you're a retailer who wants an exclusive and you get 50,000 of them that will be one price per piece, but if instead, you're a bit braver and you make 100,000, the price per piece goes down.

While these aren't the exact numbers, I'm betting that EE can't order on the same quantity level as Target or WalMart so they don't get as good of a price per piece as the big stores would.

As good/bad as EE is for getting things, Amazon is a MUCH BIGGER company than EE. Just because a lot of SW collectors rely on them along with some collectors of other choice lines, that doesn't mean that they are even remotely at the same level as Amazon. What they are however, is the biggest independent online e-tailer you can get SW stuff from.

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Peter

Letting my collecting OCD get the better of me on a DAILY basis... and loving EVERY minute of it!

My opinion stands that htey're pricey unless bought by the case, but even then they feel like "less" than what you got with the Clones when bought by the case. I don't know why, they just don't feel substantial by comparison, and as such the price stings a bit more...

A key to remember is that if EE can sell a case, and bring the "per-figure price" down to $6-ish, then they're profiting at that price and really the individual and double-pack offerings are mark-ups on EE's part, not Hasbro's... The Hasbro minimum is probably the case per-figure price though, which is right there around retail... Granted, they're not the most "substantial" things either. Some accessories would be nice, at least...

Not to mention, as always, that astromechs are sculpts the company has... The cost to manufacture an item you already have mold toolings for is SUBSTANTIALLY less, so the profit margin is much more in favor of the company than any newly sculpted item.

I love the sets myself, I think they look neat, and at $6-ish a figure for repaints I can bite and not feel bad (getting in on a case with local friends is the key though there). It's the separated pieces that really stings though. At LEAST buying one of each set should only cost you $6-ish a figure. Breaking up the sets though to buying only a single one of the two, that is a risk for EE so I can see slight increase there.

I've found a group I can go in on a case with locally so I'm thinking I will get my set... That's cool. The good thing with astro's is I only want the one set too... In that regard I definitely still dislike the Clone situation MUCH more. I wanted such an army of white Clones and never have gotten it thanks to the absolutely ****** way in which that exclusive was handled. I hold much more resentment there.

And personally, I don't see many pictures of 100 Episode 2 Clones all in a row like I see of other BETTER released army builder figures... Seems like that set just wasn't as much meant for "army builders" as people boasted it was. And the only people who suffered were the army builders who could only sit by and watch. That's what I'll always resent EE for on those sets.

Nice list Jeff! I think over time you can lose track of how many of these little rascals you have. I think the R4 unit from the Imperial Forces 4-pack is actually R4-I9 though. I'm just going by memory on that one.

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"You were entrusted to lead the Republic." - Vote for Ven Zallow from THE OLD REPUBLIC in figure polls!

Forgive me for a dumb question ... How do they do that if it's an EE exclusive? Are they buying them by the case, and reselling them at just under EE's price?

That's the only thing I can think of that makes sense. As we established earlier the sets are $30 each plus shipping when you buy by the case, so they must get the cheapest shipping so the can profit and they they set their shipping costs high to make up more money.

Retailer discounts would be my guess.The EE clone packs made it down under courtesy of a local etailer here.So i would imagine you will see other etailers with these sets cheaper than EE once they get their stock.

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The problem with America is stupidity I'm not saying there should be a capital punishment for stupidity, but why don't we just take the safety labels off of everything and let the problem solve itself